The latest version of high-performance physical modelling and simulation tool MapleSim 4.5 has been announced by Maplesoft. Based on advanced symbolic computation technology, MapleSim is an engineering software tool for design, modelling and high-performance simulation, including real-time and hardware-in-the-loop applications. Unlike traditional, numeric-based modelling tools, the approach of MapleSim exposes and provides access to the model equations.
With enhanced support for Modelica, an open standard for describing physical models and components that forms the basis of many components in MapleSim, engineers can now access new collections of components using the import feature, seamlessly including third-party Modelica libraries and their own custom Modelica components.
Libraries, components and models based on the electrical, 1-D mechanical, signals and thermal heat flow domains from the Modelica 3.1 Standard Library can be easily imported and included with standard MapleSim components and models. Older MapleSim models can also be converted to use Modelica 3.1 in order to take advantage of the latest developments.
Version 4.5 also has an improved simulation engine that can readily simulate continuous models with discrete events and handles a much larger class of these systems than earlier versions. It also shows significant performance improvements for existing hybrid discrete/continuous models. With the improved engine, MapleSim can now handle models that include hundreds of events.
Models with discrete events will often run 10 times faster than in MapleSim 4, with some running more than 100 times faster. The improved simulation engine also results in reduced formulation times for large continuous models, shortening the time the engine requires to prepare the model for simulation.
‘With the expanded support for Modelica in MapleSim 4.5, and its increased capacity for modelling continuous systems with discrete events, engineers and researchers can apply MapleSim’s time-saving techniques to even more of their design problems,' says Dr Laurent Bernardin, chief scientist and executive vice president of research and development at Maplesoft.
